The State health department has filed a police complaint against Rajbhara Medicare Private limited (RMPl) for putting up locks at Raipur Community Health Centre (CHC). The RMPl is the private partner which was handed over the task of operating the CHC under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
The complaint was lodged by the Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) of the hospital, Dr Anand Shukla on Thursday. Shortly after meeting the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and filing complaint, Dr Shukla told The Pioneer that the RMPl has put locks on the doors of many facilities of the hospital from May 01. The CMS said that he and two other doctors of state health services are managing the OPD and emergency services of the hospital but all other facilities are not functional. Involved in a legal tussle, the authorities of Rajbara recently put locks on different facilities of the hospital. It is learnt that the health department is not breaking open the locks as the case is in court and by doing this act it don’t want to invite ire of the court which could consider it as its contempt. The Hospital Superintendent of CHC and an employee of Rajbhara, Dr M K Joshi said that the staff members of the hospital have not received any salary from last six months. He added that many doctors and other employees have left the CHC due to nonpayment of the salaries and remaining ones are on strike.
Meanwhile public anger over continued strike in the CHC erupted on Thursday as large number of local residents held a vociferous protest outside it. leading the protesters, the Patron of Doon Ghati Vikas Manch, Mahendra Pratap Singh Negi said that residents of Raipur and dozens of nearby villages are facing problems as the important PHC is virtually non functional from last two years. He said that the CHC once used to serve more than 500 patients in OPD and had a capacity of 10 IPD but now due to tussle between the health department and Rajbhara the hospital is not functioning. Negi threatened to launch a massive agitation if the CHC is not brought on track soon.
The Raipur CHC was handed over to RMPl for a period of five years under PPP model in the year 2013. As per the MOU the health department provides infrastructure while the private player provides specialist doctors and other personnel at the Health Centre. However the health department decided to cancel MOU last year and tried to take the operation of the hospital in its hand. Rajbhara took the matter to the HC which issued a stay on the department’s plan to take back the operation CHC.